Baptism of fire: Trailer'd
by TheCivilizedCaveman
Summary: A series of "trailers" for the sequel to 'To Be a Huntsman' fanfic. More information inside. Warning: language, violence, adult themes, and original characters :-)
1. Intro

Author's note: _So, my dear readers, as you all know, the previous RWBY fic,_ To Be a Huntsman, _was finished over a year ago. Since then, all I wrote about the RWBY gang was a couple of oneshots. But that wasn't good enough. I thought about the sequel to the main story and the overall direction I wanted it to take but I was faced with a dilemma. Should I stick to the canon storyline as close as possible and putting off writing until I knew enough about canon RWBYverse, or try my luck deviating from the canon, risking that it might turn out to be complete garbage? It really was a difficult choice but I couldn't just put this off forever... so I'm gonna just start putting it together now. The story's already deviated from canon so we might as well continue the trend, right? Let's hope it won't turn out_ too bad _._

 _Without further ado, this short fic will be sort of a prologue to the new story arc which will be centered on my OCs, team TNDR. It'll be something akin to trailers/character shorts as an overall introduction into the story. First the intro and the first trailer/CS, and I'll upload the other three 'till the end of this year. And I should also take care of some formalities so here it goes:_ _ _ **RWBY belongs to RoosterTeeth and absolutely fantastic Mr. Monty Oum (RIP)!** I own nothing of RWBYverse except my OCs.  
__

 _ _With that out of the way, have a good read and__ _ _ _I wish you all very merry Christmas and happy New Year, and may all your wishes come true!___

* * *

It has been six months since the second breach that ultimately led to the fall of Vale City.

That day, most of the city was laid to waste by a large scale Grimm invasion after White Fang sabotaged the bulwark protecting the city and its inhabitants; not only that but they also killed many people during the invasion, soldiers, Hunters, and civilians, and even attempted to destroy the Beacon Academy. The once peaceful organization turned a terrorist group earned widespread and well-deserved hatred for this unprecedented act of cruelty and violence. Only few chosen ones knew who really was behind this catastrophe. White Fang was fanatical and dangerous and they proved it time and time again... but in spite of all that, they were just tools, _pawns._

The tragedy that claimed the lives of thousands of people was orchestrated by one woman and a couple of her associates. No one had a clue how Cinder Fall managed to gain the support of staunchly anti-human radicals but that was of no consequence now. She manipulated few chosen individuals to do her bidding and in doing so, she perpetrated what could be considered the worst mass murder in Remnant's post-war history. Worse, she uncovered an existence of a true legend, only to kill her and claim her power for herself. And this cunning, ruthless woman, dangerous in her own right, still remained at large. She vanished shortly after the communications between the Kingdoms were knocked out. Without the option of coordinating their actions, the authorities had no chance of tracking her down... and the woman knew it.

Though Beacon Academy survived the invasion, it was too going through rough times. Headmaster Ozpin was missing and presumed dead. It's reputation was tarnished, as its Hunters couldn't prevent the destruction of the city. While most monsters retreated after the enormous wyvern Grimm was slain, White Fang remained as active as ever, doing everything in their power to make humans' existence difficult. Over the first two months since the fall of Vale City, it was housing thousands of refugees until those could be transported somewhere else. Whatever was left of Atlesian fleet was stationed in the industrial district, the only part of the city that survived the Grimm invasion relatively intact.

Over the course of the following few months, all refugees left in the area were taken to safety. All that remained in Beacon and ruins of Vale City were military personnel and Hunters and they were all struggling to survive in what was now a desolated wasteland, scavenging for whatever they could use.

However, even after suffering such a heavy blow, the Hunters of Beacon weren't idle throughout these few months. With Ozpin gone, Qrow Branwen took over the duty of tracking down Cinder and all her associates, including White Fang... and a selected company of Beacon students aided him in his effort. Qrow hated having to put them all in danger, since he was better off doing this kind of job alone. But those 'kids,' as he called them, showed the kind of talent he hadn't seen in years. Especially his young nieces... Though he wouldn't show it, he often marveled at how these girls grew in such short time, in more ways than one.

More importantly though, his laborous investigation had finally brought some results, after months of nothing at all. The Vale offshot of White Fang turned out to have numerous contacts in Menagerie, Atlas, and Mistral; the last locality was even more important as in some of Cinder's associates (or lackeys, perhaps) were reportedly seen in this foreign Kingdom.

Qrow wasn't sure what this meant. But he knew one thing for certain...

It was time to act.


	2. T: Winds of change

Six months after the tragedy of Vale City, the Beacon Academy, once bustling with activity, was now quiet, almost eerily so. The refugees that were sheltered here for the first two or three months since the invasion, recovering from both physical and mental wounds, were now gone, taken to safer places within the Kingdom. The guests from other combat schools had also returned home over time. Those who remained, the personnel and students of Beacon, spent most of their time in the field, often being gone for days before coming back. The usual way of teaching, in the classroom, grew more sparse because the area around Beacon and now ruined Vale City had suddenly become far more dangerous. Beacon's curriculum had to incorporate more practical aspects, which meant more field missions. As a result, the campus seemed almost devoid of life during daytime.

And things were no more different on this particular day.

The campus was illuminated by warm yellow sunlight as the day drew to an end. It was at this time, an early evening, when a lone figure walked towards the Beacon tower. The enormous structure stood tall with its uppermost portion gone. There was simply not enough materials and manpower to rebuild the destroyed CCT transmitter. While communication with it was possible to contact nearest cities and settlements, thanks to the effort of Atlesian engineers, the communications with other Kingdoms were still down. Therefore, the damage inflicted during the Grimm invasion still remained unrepaired.

The figure stopped a short distance from the tower's entrance, right at the shallow crater filled with dark grey dust; the only thing that remained of the wyvern Grimm that sought to claim Beacon for itself. Just a few feet further, there was a spot where cobbles were torn out and strewn around. The figure sighed and walked towards it.

"I can't believe I actually came here..."

A quiet feminine voice cut through the silence.

This place held a personal significant to the girl, the only living being present near the tower. It was right here when her dreams and aspirations were almost shattered exactly six months ago. In many ways it was like seeing a ghost.

Her ill-thought out attempt to kill Cinder Fall ended with both her legs shattered and a painful, lengthy recovery in Beacon's infirmary. Nearly being lamed for life and losing all chances of becoming a Huntress alone were bad enough. But worse things followed afterwards; losing her home and her family that nearly crushed her resolve and made her wonder if there even was a point to everything she did. If the Hunters couldn't stop the 'bad guys' from laying waste to the city then what they were good for?

The girl knelt down at the damaged pavement. She sighed deeply as she touched the uncovered ground. Not many could live through the kind of things she experienced without losing their sanity in the process. In fact, she was wondering herself why she didn't break down. They were all young, too young to be risking their lives in the hairiest of fights.

But in spite of all that, she came back from what she saw as her rock-bottom. And right now, she was standing at the place where six months ago she almost met her end.

Tatianna Marina Fuchsia Griffon rose up and walked towards the entrance to the tower. _No,_ it was simply 'Tanya' these days. Thinking of her full name just brought memories of the woman that gave her this ridiculous name. Her mother, for whom she developed bitter resentment after she abandoned her family without a word, hours before Vale City fell. She didn't know where the woman was now, and she didn't even care at this point. More important was 'here' and 'now.'

The infirmary, where she spent the first few weeks after her brush with death, was like her own personal hell... and she would never escape that place if it weren't for her friends and her brother, the only close family she had left. Only thanks to them she was able to break out of her slump and realize that she didn't want to spend the rest of her days wasting away.

oOo

 _Tanya stared back at the younger girl before her, unable to believe what she was hearing. Team TNDR,_ her team, _would be going on a mission... and without her. To be fair, she was in no condition to be taking missions, and she damn well knew it. No, what really got to her was the fact that_ Coco _-freaking-_ Adel _was put in charge of the guys,_ her guys...

 _She heaved a sigh, trying to clear her agitated mind. She couldn't fathom how her team could work with Adel in charge. The girl could be abrasive and bossy, sometimes outright ignoring other people's opinions. But most of all, it was the thought of being_ replaced _, albeit temporarily, that didn't sit well with her. It wasn't right, not after all that team TNDR went through._

" _Tan, it's gonna be fine!" Ruby Rose babbled on, as if sensing her inner turmoil. "Goodwitch said Coco will be in charge only for this mission. It's not like it's gonna be permanent or-"_

 _Tanya couldn't listen any more. This was exactly what she was afraid of when she got landed in the infirmary; laying here being useless while people she cared about were out there fighting for their lives. What if her presence in the battle were the only thing that could stop the worst from happening? No, she couldn't stay here any longer._

" _Ruby, get me my crutches."_

 _The girl was stunned for a moment before starting to protest. "B-but the doctors said you weren't allowed to leave just yet-"_

" _The crutches._ Please. _" Tanya said firmly. Ruby gulped and did as asked._

 _Moments later Tanya was swinging her legs over the edge of her bed... or trying to. Her left leg, which was still healing after the latest surgery, was enclosed in a heavy brace and rendered immobile. It would be hard to move about dragging a weight like that. But Tanya didn't care; she needed out. Besides, even if the doctors didn't say it aloud, her right left was already healed. Even on one leg she could move._

 _Her bare feet touched the ground. Leaning on the crutches, she made a small hesitant step, taking care not to put weight on her injured leg._

 _Ignoring Ruby's fretting, she took another step, a bit longer. And another._

 _A grin formed on her face. She was going to do this._

oOo

People say the first step in solving a problem is acknowledging you have a problem. This wisdom couldn't be any truer.

That day, Tanya had to endure a severe tongue-lashing after one of the nurses saw her 'escape attempt.' But she didn't care; it was worth it.

From that day onward, everyday she would try walking a short distance on her own, without help. While her friends encouraged her, doctors disapproved. But that wouldn't stop her, of course. Her stubborness eventually got her into quite a predicament when she gathered enough courage to venture out into the hall. One of her crutches got caught by a doorframe and she nearly fell on her face... right in front of Acting Headmistress Goodwitch.

At the time, she was afraid that she might've overdone it... but in hindsight, that incident was a blessing in disguise.

Eventually her left leg finally healed up and she could try walking again after weeks of being bed-ridden. Goodwitch took it upon herself to oversee her recovery process. At the beginning it was simply about making sure Tanya wouldn't hurt herself and end up in the infirmary again. As her weakened muscle started adapting to the strain Goodwitch came up with a workout routine that would help her get back into shape. It was far from easy, though; during the first few days she could hardly walk at all after being done. The workout was just that gruelling. Tanya wouldn't let it discourage her though, not when she had people encouraging her to keep going. She wanted back into action and would let nothing get in the way of that.

Later on, when the workout got even more intense and she could finally start doing some light combat training, Goodwitch decided to add Aura exercises to her daily routine. Although Tanya knew her Semblance and used it many times to great effect, Goodwitch asserted she still hadn't reached her full potential... and naturally, she aimed to change that.

If working out was hard, then Aura training proved to be many times worse. Goodwitch required her to put all her effort into testing her Semblance's limits and wasn't willing to settle for anything less. Though it was during those private sessions when the usually stern and sometimes terrifying professor showed the softer side of her personality.

oOo

 _A little over half an hour. That was all it took for her to end up on her knees, panting with exertion. It was better than a week ago when she nearly blacked out after barely fifteen minutes. Still, Tanya knew she could do far better than this._

" _I think it's time for a break, Miss Griffon." Goodwitch said as she pulled the young student back on her feet._

" _No, I can keep going..." Tanya protested weakly but the professor would have none of it._

" _You won't do anyone a favor by working yourself to death. We both know this."_

 _She was surprised by the softness in her voice. With a quiet sigh she relented. Maybe Goodwitch was right; what good would she do if she dropped dead of exhaustion before even getting a chance of getting back in combat?_

 _Over the course of a week, Tanya learned a lot of things about her Semblance which allowed her to manipulate air. It proved to be extremely useful due to its versatility and she already learned many ways to use it. To propel herself in any direction, to knock enemies off their feet, to throw stuff (and people) around, or even to break her own fall. Goodwitch even pointed out it could be used to augment her attacks by focusing it around her arms. It was a more advanced technique, focused on finesse rather than brute strength, but she was getting the hang of it._

 _Despite all that, Tanya felt like there was a lot of untapped potential to her Semblance. If only there was any way to discover it..._

 _Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the professor levitate one of the mats and move it to the pile in the corner of the training room. Normally, she would think nothing of it... but right now, this sight provided her with an idea._

Can I do that with _myself?_

 _She stood up from the bench and closed her eyes, focusing on the air surrounding her body. What she wanted to do was pretty similar to the bursts of wind she'd use to move around quickly. But what she wanted to try out required more concentration. No violent wind-blast to propel her face-first into the ceiling; just enough power to lift herself off the floor..._

 _Moments later Tanya felt the pressure of air on her lower body, but her feet remained firmly planted on the floor._

I need a bit more power...

 _She concentrated even harder, trying to generate enough power to lift her off the ground. But still nothing and she was starting to feel lightheaded..._

 _Then it happened._

 _With a sudden jolt, her boots left the ground._

 _The sudden loss of contact with the floor almost broke Tanya's concentration and made her fumble for balance as she hang just a few inches in the air. It startled her for a moment, only to realize what was happening._

 _She used even more power, ignoring the growing feeling of pressure inside her head. The air beneath her feet flowed upwards, pushing her even higher. The feeling of pressure slowly turned into a pounding headache, reminding her that she was hitting her limits. But she didn't care._

Oh my god, I'm flying! I'm actually flying!

 _Tanya opened her eyes. She needed to see this for herself._

 _She found herself levitating some five or six feet above the floor. The realization of what she just accomplished hit her like a ton of bricks. With enough training, this could give her a new edge in a fight. Hell, she could be nigh unstoppable!_

 _The impressive feat was rapidly draining her strength yet she still decided to experiment. Direct the air slightly to her back to move herself forward..._

 _In that precise moment, the Aura failed her. The flow of air that suspended her above the floor suddenly disappeared and she found herself falling._

 _Only to stop mere inches above the floor._

 _It was Goodwitch's timely intervention that saved her from a world of pain._

 _On the verge of blacking out, Tanya felt someone pick her up. She knew who it was and she would get a good scolding. But she was too tired to care._

 _With a blissful smile, she drifted off to sleep._

oOo

All in all, Tanya felt pretty proud of herself and her newfound ability and not even the scolding from Goodwitch spoiled that. She was still ways away from mastering self-levitation but that was okay. Only knowing she could do it was enough.

Her training went exceptionally well and she found herself getting back into shape faster than she thought, considering the severity of her injuries. However, doctors weren't so optimistic and forced her to wear special braces on both her legs that reached above her knees and also doubled as boots. They were supposed to strengthen and protect the weakened bones in her legs; useful in theory but Tanya found it to be more of a hindrance. The additional weight, even though not much, affected her speed and agility and she didn't quite like it. In the end she had little choice but to wear the braces during training just to get used to them. On the other hand, it was nowhere as bad as the disgusting concoction the doctors made her take every other day. It was supposed to speed up bone tissue regeneration but sometimes she had a feeling it was made specifically to make her sick...

Compared to the progress she made since leaving the infirmary, these things were but an annoyance.

Soon enough, she was allowed to train with her teammates and friends. Facing them in the arena after her long absence was difficult... but she never liked to back down from a challenge. Not to mention they all needed to learn from one another if they were to stand a chance against the _bastards_ who destroyed Vale City and almost laid waste to Beacon, too.

Back in the present, Tanya took in the mess that Cinder made when she burst through the Beacon tower; nobody bothered to repair the damage. So many people had to die... and for what? Because they stood in the way of Cinder's mad power grabbing trip? Tanya would love nothing more than to find her, beat her down and stomp on her face, _repeatedly..._ But she vanished and no one knew her whereabouts. So all of Beacon's effort was used to combat White Fang, yet another monster waiting to be slain.

Indiscriminate killing of both humans and the Faunus that chose not to get involved, raiding settlements, and even rumors about their involvement with slave trafficking... There might be no pure evil but the Fang had come pretty close to that.

But things were rather quiet since the Grimm invasion half a year ago. That is, if one didn't count the sudden disappearance of Cardin Winchester; his remaining teammates didn't know where he was so he was listed as MIA for now. But he could've been dead for all they knew, which would be no surprise since he was all too good at making enemies.

But anyway, there was no major incident or attack on the school. And missions usually consisted of weeding out Grimm, salvaging supplies, or an occasional crackdown on White Fang.

Not her, though. She wasn't allowed to partake in missions until two months after being released from the infirmary; something about observing her state of health until she was one hundred percent okay. It didn't sit well with her but at least she was allowed to train and there was no shortage of sparring partners. Most of all though, she enjoyed practicing hand-to-hand combat with Arslan Artan, a guest student from Mistral. Tanya met her in a gym during the Tournament and though they were simply sparring partners at first, it soon became a fast friendship, especially when Arslan frequently helped her train during her recovery.

The problem was that Tanya developed feelings for the Mistrali girl, which left her in a difficult position. _Should she tell her or not?_ Arslan never gave any sign she might return her feelings... or she wasn't even aware of how she felt her about her. But how could Tanya tell when she had no experiences on relationships? The fear of rejection made her think that it might be better if Arslan never knew... But bottling it up might bring her as much pain as being rejected, if not more.

And time seemed to prove it...

When even Arslan herself noticed she wasn't quite herself, Tanya made a decision to confess everything. All she needed was to gather enough courage to speak up.

Unfortunately for her, the world had other plans.

oOo

 _Arslan caught up with her while she was on the way to her dorm. As always Tanya was delighted to see her... but the smile froze on her lips once she saw her expression. Arslan never was one to openly show her emotions but right now she was visibly upset._

 _And that didn't bode well._

" _What's the matter, Arslan?"_

 _The Mistrali student heaved a shuddering sigh. "I got a letter from professor Lionheart, the headmaster of Haven." She said in a small voice, unable to meet her eyes._

 _In a sudden moment of clarity, Tanya just knew what it was about... but couldn't quite believe it._

No, not yet... this is too soon...

" _He- he's calling all Haven students back." Arslan finished, shoulders slumped in resignation. "We have an hour to pack and airship will take us back to Mistral."_

 _Tanya stood frozen in the hallway._ This isn't true. It can't be...

" _Tan... I'm sorry. I really am." The blonde said quietly. "But it's an order; nothing I can do."_

 _Tears were pricking at her eyes. She couldn't stop them._ Why? Why _now,_ of all times?

" _I can't go against the headmaster... I'd stay here if I could, you know this."_

 _Her attempt at consolation didn't seem to work._ This isn't fair...

 _Arslan took Tanya's hands into hers. And the next thing she knew she found herself being pulled into a tight hug by the other girl, the suddenness of the action startling her a bit._

 _Tanya buried her face into her shoulder, trying to get her tears under control. She hated it when someone saw her cry; it wasn't something befitting a fighting woman who was literally a whirlwind on the battlefield._

" _Write me once in a while, please..."_ Damn it, Griffon, is this the best you can do? _Tanya scoffed internally at herself._

" _I'll try... the least I can do." Arslan chuckled, despite the situation._

 _Tanya pulled back and looked the blonde straight in the eyes. "The first chance I get, I'll come to Haven, Arslan... and you better be there when I do." She spoke with absolute conviction. When this whole mess with Cinder and the Fang was dealt with, she'd definitely do that._

" _I'll be waiting." Arslan replied, glancing at the empty hallway. "Well, I... I gotta go, can't keep my team waiting so... I hope to see you soon." She turned to walk away._

 _Internally, Tanya was panicking._

 _There was no way to be sure if she'd ever see her again, the girl that unknowingly stole her heart. Who knows what could happen in the next few years? With how things were going around here, she might be dead before she ever got the chance to visit Haven. Or worse, Arslan might die before she could even see her again._

 _No, she wasn't ready to tell her how she felt. But this might be the only chance to do so._

 _So, in her own words,_ fuck it; _she'd rather face rejection now than spend rest of her life in regret._

 _In one smooth movement, she caught Arslan by the arm before she could retreat and turned her around. Confused, the girl was about to ask what was wrong... and promptly got cut off by a pair of soft lips locking with hers._

 _In her mind, Tanya was torn between freaking out and marveling on how good Arslan's lips felt. However, her crush was too shocked to even react. Was she too bold? Did she make her uncomfortable? She was waiting for months to do this... but now she felt that maybe this wasn't the best idea. She let the kiss last a few more moments to convey her message and then pulled away. Arslan was stunned beyond any reply, staring back at her with wide eyes._

Damn, I've done it now...

 _Cupping Arslan's face with one hand, Tanya leaned in to whisper "I love you, Ars... Stay safe." Then she turned on her heel and walked away, fighting her urge to turn back._

oOo

Kicking away a burned out piece of computer, Tanya turned back to the entrance. There was nothing more to see there, anyway.

She had trouble sleeping for days after her sudden confession to Arslan. The act wasn't well thought out and she couldn't help it but think it might've made things worse. She could've done this earlier and taken the time to explain herself... But no; acting on an impulse, she just dropped the proverbial bomb and ran away like a coward. As days went by, the anger at said mess-up ebbed away but she couldn't stop thinking about it... how she messed up the chances with the girl that was literally one-of-a-kind.

Only the letter from said girl that arrived two weeks after that event brought her some peace. Tanya read through it the moment it got in her hands. Arslan wrote about how her team went back to business-as-usual after coming back home, how the headmaster questioned them about the Grimm invasion and fall of Vale and other stuff, too... But what stuck in her mind was the words at the end.

 _'I'd like you to know that if- when you ever show up in Haven, I want to talk about what happened between us the day I left Beacon. Before you even ask, I'm not mad or anything... I just have a feeling there was a lot of things left unsaid and I don't want to leave it like that. Let us talk, see where things stand, and... I guess we'll see. Just don't keep me waiting.'_

It was nice to know Arslan held no grudge against her but Tanya couldn't help it but feel afraid. The way she worded it... She didn't know what to expect. In spite of that, she wanted to do nothing more than go to Mistral and visit Arslan, talk to her... or kiss her, if she was lucky. Alas, she had commitments here and couldn't afford to just leave.

But once an opportunity presents itself... nothing would hold her back.

The Scroll in her pocket suddenly began ringing. No doubt it was one of her gang.

Not even looking at the display, Tanya fished the device out and accepted the call. "Yeah?"

"Where are you at, Skipper?" It was her teammate and long-time friend, Roland Peregrine. "It's time for our sparring hour and we couldn't find you anywhere!"

Oh right, she completely forgot about that. "Yeah, I just went out for a little stroll... I'm at the Beacon tower right now, was feeling a little _nostalgic,_ " That was one way of putting it, and- Did she just hear a giggle in the background? "Just sit tight and I'll find you... eventually." She replied nonchalantly.

"Ok, cool. Meet us at our dorm. We gotta take care of something first. See ya!" The call ended.

Pocketing the Scroll, Tanya turned around and headed back to the dorms. As she glanced one more time at the ruined structure, one thought went through her mind.

This _is not going to happen again. Not while I'm around._


	3. N: Bridges burned

Were it his choice, Nicolaus would much rather enjoy his well deserved rest after the absolute mess that was his team's last assignment. Alas, as much as he was tempted to simply ignore the message from Goodwitch, he knew too well doing so would bring some severe consequences. Better do his duty now and sleep later than to suffer through whatever punishment she had in store later on.

So there he was, waiting before the heavy door made of dark wood until someone invited him over. He knocked about five minutes ago yet still no response. Luckily, he didn't have to wait much longer. The door creaked open and professor- well, acting headmistress Goodwitch stepped outside. Nicolaus wasn't sure what awaited him inside her office but, judging by her rather nettled expression, he figured it wouldn't be anything good.

"Here you are, Mr. Flamme." She tried to sound calm but the Faunus could tell it was forced. "Apologies for the belated response; I've had a rather unpleasant discussion with my current guests."

"Oh... Is this a bad time, then?" Nicolaus asked. "Should I come back later?"

"That won't be necessary." The professor replied crisply. "In fact, I'd say your presence is required."

"Uh, care to explain what's going on here? Your message didn't exactly mention any details."

"Just head on inside." Goodwitch huffed a reply. "The visitors will answer all your question... They better do, since they asked for you _specifically._ "

 _What?_

Nicolaus quickly entered the office, deciding against any other questions in order not to further incense the already annoyed professor. It wasn't like if he was afraid, not _that much_ anyway... but he wasn't sure he liked the thought of someone asking for him. Who would possibly want to talk with him? He was but a hunter-in-training, no one important. Whoever this mysterious guest was could've easily asked for, well, _anyone else,_ really.

All these questions would be left unanswered, though, unless he went in and talked with these people.

The office, which belonged to the late headmaster Ozpin, was filled with all kinds of antiquated furniture and many strange curiosities. But Nicolaus didn't care about that. It was the two strangers sitting at a long table that caught his attention.

Two men he had never seen before; a human and a Faunus, in fact. Both were wearing dark grey suits, reinforcing the impression they weren't here for a cordial chat. The human had piercing grey eyes and short white hair. Compared to his companion, the Faunus appeared far wilder, with a long grey hair, ruffled and unkempt, dark yellow eyes and a pair of large rounded ears on the top of his head.

Nicolaus was pretty sure he never met those people before... but he couldn't help it but find the grizzled lion faunus familiar somehow.

"So, you're Mr. Flamme, I presume?" The human asked, not appearing very impressed.

"Yep, that's me, last I checked." Nicolaus replied with a small bite to his voice. Honestly, he couldn't care less what this stranger thought of him. "Now, mind telling me who you are and what you want with me?"

During the next few moments of painful silence, Nicolaus had a feeling he might've chosen his words poorly. Then to his surprise, the lion Faunus chuckled lightly. "No need to be so hostile, young man. I realize we might have not made the best impression, turning up here uninvited and requesting a meeting with one of hunters in training... which is something Miss Goodwitch might wholeheartedly agree with."

Goodwitch huffed at the remark but offered no reply.

"I think it would be best to get the introductions out of the way, so... My name is Léon Acier," He bowed slightly and gestured to his human associate. "And this is my colleauge, Gottlieb Mohn."

Nicolaus responded only with a nod and a blank stare.

"Well, I've expected this kind of response." Acier chuckled mirthlessly. "I don't blame you for not knowing us or the organization we represent. While the cause we dedicated ourselves to is of great importance these times, it doesn't receive the level of publicity it deserves, in our opinion."

 _Well, this was getting awkward..._ Nicolaus didn't know what to say that wouldn't make him look even more foolish.

"It seems you're short on words as well as memory, young man." Goodwitch broke the silence, her expression both annoyed and incredulous. "Surely you know of Unity... unless you do not watch the news at all?"

Suddenly it dawned on him... and he almost wished he'd disappear, out of sheer shame. How could he forget that special assignment, where he and his team were to oversee the Faunus rights rally, especially with how the whole thing went down, White Fang attacking protesters and all that? Or the fact the assignment was given to them by the leader of Unity himself?

"Of course I know about Unity... it just didn't occur it to me right away." The fox Faunus spluttered. "But anyway, I thought the Unity was defunct these days, with Vale City ruined and all." And without a leader... Late Johannes Braun was assassinated by White Fang a week before the Grimm invasion, and with no one to replace him, the organization would fall apart... or so he assumed.

"The fall of Vale City was a heavy blow, that's for sure." Mohn said quietly. "We lost some damn good people that day. But Unity doesn't die as long as its ideals live on. We still have support all over the four Kingdoms, although coordination has been an issue lately, with communications disabled."

"Very true; we should get back to our business here, though." Acier interjected. "As you know, building bridges between human and Faunus communities still remains our priority. Actions of White Fang put everything we achieved so far at risk. We've maintained contacts with the authorities, including leadership of Beacon Academy... and we know your school has been sending its students on missions to investigate the Fang's recent activity."

"Yeah, that's true." Nicolaus nodded. "Some of us have more personal experiences with White Fang, so we seem like a logical choice for these missions."

Goodwitch heaved a sigh. "I wish we didn't have to send students out but the available professional Hunters are spread too thin."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, we understand that. It's not our place to criticise your methods." Mohn said. "However, it came to our attention that you've seen the real extent of White Fang's current, ahem, _activities._ " Or _crimes_... Far more appropriate word, anyway.

Nicolaus was no fool and it didn't take him long to connect the dots. "If you want to know the details, you could have asked for any student that took part in those mission. Or better yet, read the reports. Why come to me?"

"A fair question," Mohn stated. "We could have invited someone else or simply read the reports... but we didn't. Do you want to know why?"

Nicolaus couldn't help it but grimace slightly. The way the human spoke, cryptic, in riddles and taking his time to get to the point reminded him of Ozpin. "That's what I'm asking, _sir._ "

"To put it in blunt terms, we've viewed the dossiers of each member of your team, yourself included." Acier said simply. "We're aware you grew up without any close family, first in an orphanage and then in the streets of Vale city, alongside a few other homeless kids-"

"You do realize that what you did is a violation of privacy, don't you?" Goodwitch interrupted, a severe look in her eyes. The fox Faunus was inclined to agree. It wasn't their business to dig around in his past.

"I do, and we apologize... but we needed to know who we were dealing with." Mohn said calmly. It didn't make Nicolaus any less annoyed about this, though.

Acier then continued where he left off. "For most of your life you were confronted with prejudice and racism which eventually led you to join White Fang."

"I joined the Fang because they offered me place to stay, training and a purpose." Nicolaus snapped. Those people didn't have the right to judge him. They didn't know the things he had to do to survive. "I wasn't about to refuse, not after some maniac singlehandedly murdered damn near all my friends!" True, they did break into his store just to get some food... but did it truly warrant such violent response?

"We're not judging you." Acier said gently. "I know that many people joined the Fang out of fear for their safety... and when they realized what they really got involved in, it was too late to back out. You were one of the lucky few that got out in time."

The fox Faunus knew where he was going with this... and he had an answer ready. "The Fang went far beyond what I saw as acceptable. On my first mission ever, I saw they were willing to execute innocents, just to send a message to the human 'oppressors.' I wanted no part in that." He spoke. "I wanted to be something more than just another cog in White Fang's war machine."

"As good a reason as any." Mohn remarked. "Anyway, you were arrested by a police and interrogated. The officers were surprised by your willingness to cooperate, I recall... But long story short, you ended up as a hunter-in-training, invited personally by late headmaster Ozpin himself."

"This, you could say, is the reason we turned to you." Acier added. "As a Faunus, you had enough reasons to ally with the Fang in the fight against humankind... but unlike many others, you recognized violence wasn't the answer, and would make the situation many times worse. As you surely know, the current ideology of White Fang abandoned the ideal of equality and focuses instead on Faunus superiority and the war of attrition against humankind." The lion Faunus narrowed his eyes. "You've seen this with your own eyes and while reports would provide the information we seek, I find that personal experience is more... _valuable._ "

Silence reigned over the room.

As the Unity representatives regarded him with pointed looks, silently prompting him to speak up, Nicolaus found himself hesitant to utter but a single word. The things he saw during the few missions to investigate White Fang, the atrocities people were willing to commit just out of the sheer conviction that they were in the right, that their cause was as noble and righteous as it could possibly get and anyone who thought otherwise was the enemy, or worse... The stuff kept haunting him and anyone who was with him during those missions. It took a lot to get those things out of his head and he was afraid that talking about them in front of the guests would make it all come back again...

"I understand this is a sensitive topic and talking about it would make you uncomfortable." Mohn spoke up, giving the fox Faunus a proverbial push. "You can leave out the most gruesome details, if you wish-"

"No, it's alright." Nicolaus cut him off. "I just- I needed to collect my thoughts. It's hard to talk or even think about, you understand?" Mohn and Acier nodded in reply.

Exhaling deeply, the fox Faunus began recounting his experiences.

"You see, my team and some of our friends had run-ins with the Fang before. The docks incident, the attack on Faunus rights demonstration, loss of TITAN Beta mine, first breach... and the Vytal festival massacre, where my teammate and friend nearly died." Roland Peregrine, team TNDR's master rifleman, who only barely survived being blown up by a grenade, at the cost of his right arm. Were it not for Doctor Polendina and his ambitious surgery, Peregrine would remain a cripple for the rest of his life. It was luck, which some other people didn't have... "And it all culminated with the Fall of Vale city and attack on Beacon."

"The most convincing proof that peaceful coexistence of human and Faunus communities means nothing to White Fang any longer." Acier commented, his expression grave. "Second only to murder of Doctor Braun and his family."

"White Fang is an unprecedented threat and must be dealt with." Goodwitch interjected. "Ideally before they can cause any more damage."

"I said it before that all available full-fledged Hunters are overworked... so sometimes they have us students help out investigating the Fang." Nicolaus continued. "Mainly those that had prior experience fighting 'em."

Acier nodded curtly. "So, what can you tell us about the Fang? Its goals, or _modus operandi?_ "

"They're vicious bastards, that's for damn sure." Nicolaus scowled. "Don't know if they're like that everywhere, but the Vale branch is ruthless... and their mean streak only got worse after the Grimm invasion."

oOo

" _WHAT?!"_

 _He couldn't believe what he was hearing._

 _It was the morning after the fall of Vale City and, fortunately failed, invasion of Beacon. Nicolaus was away from the heaviest fights for the most part; he and his partner were trying to take back a rogue Atlesian cruiser, taken over by Roman Torchwick and his henchwoman Neo. It went badly but a surviving crew member managed to start a self-destruction sequence, which blew the ship apart in minutes. Nicolaus and Emery only narrowly managed to escape death. But by the time their lifeboat reached Beacon campus, the battle was almost over._

 _The morning after the disaster he asked around, trying to learn what happened. And the more he learned, the more he regretted asking at all... especially when his teammate Roland recounted the Fang's actions he witnessed while fighting his way through the doomed city._

" _I know what I saw, Nick!" The rifleman snapped back. He was tired and angry. Nicolaus didn't blame him, for they all were. "The Fang were executing people; humans, Faunus, men, women... Didn't matter, they just butchered them on sight!" He covered his face in his hands. "Everyone that doesn't support the Fang becomes a target... I saw dead bodies lining the streets. And I just happened upon that bastard Dracul," The same person that recruited Nicolaus... and nearly killed Roland a few years later._

 _Nicolaus felt a chill run down his back as he listened. Such ruthlessness, such savagery... And it felt even worse to him since Frey Liath, one of his best friends back in his street days, fully accepted their hateful, destructive ideology._

" _The sick fuck enjoyed killing people... and was about to kill a little girl right in front of her Dad. I had to do something..."_

 _And that 'something' meant him and Penny Polendina, his companion at the time, going in guns blazing and killing every Fang thug in sight, including Manson Dracul himself._

 _Nicolaus didn't say a word as Peregrine finished. No words were needed, anyway. Bottom line, the man did what he had to do... and the Fang brought it upon themselves._

oOo

"This is what the Fang became, a bunch of fanatic murderers hell-bent on destroying everyone and everything in their path." Nicolaus said in a dark voice. "But it gets even worse."

"That seems hard to believe, after what you just told me." Mohn remarked, his expression one of revulsion.

"This is atrocious, unacceptable." Acier grounded out through gritted teeth, looking like if on the verge of exploding with anger.

 _And their eagerness to kill and destroy already proved useful to some people,_ Nicolaus thought. Cinder Fall, the mastermind behind the attack, was one person to come into mind... but that wasn't something he was allowed to talk about.

"We already knew the Fang was bad." The fox Faunus continued. "But only during our recon mission in Stone Creek we saw how far they were willing to go."

oOo

 _A whole crowd of captives, humans, Faunus, men, women; all of them malnourished, filthy, beaten, exhausted... Nicolaus didn't know what to expect when he and his teammates embarked on this mission. But this certainly wasn't_ it.

 _Only three of the prisoners, a Faunus woman named Anise, Wren, a forester from the village of Avalon, and Nebula's teammate, Gwen Darcy, preserved enough of their sanity to give them some answers as to what the hell was happening in the village._

 _Wren was the first to talk. White_ _Fang_ _attacked Avalon a week back;_ _killed anyone that stood in their way,_ _then_ _rounded up the survivors and forced them to dig graves for their dead._ _Anyone trying to escape was shot on sight. Then they split the survivors among other conquered villages and the main base, wherever that was. An officer told them they were to 'serve the future masters of Remnant.'_

" _They had us diggin' up trenches, layin' down barb wire, carryin' stuff around, you name it! Some of them were sent to a Dust mine, horrible place to be... And we had to obey their orders to the letter; do what they said, go where they wanted us to. One step out of line, we'd get a beatin'."_

 _Then Anise chimed in. "There was so much to get done and at the end of the day they'd make sure we_ _met our quota._ _That was the only time we'd get food, too. And if they decided we hadn't done enough, we wouldn't get_ _any_ _. I saw a few people collapse from sheer exhaustion. Every time a trooper came in to_ _finish him off..._ _We were of no use to them if we couldn't work."_

 _Worse, the Fang 'enlisted' her young son against his will. No one knew what they did to him to make him convert._

 _But the most chilling testimony came from Gwen Darcy, who was captured by the Fang during the invasion, along with two of her teammates. Her leader, Nebula Violette, died during the ambush... or so she thought._

 _"Every now and then, they'd take some of the captives and sell them on slave market. Strong and healthy males... and good-looking females. The officers... kept some of the women for themselves."_

 _With every new revelation, Nicolaus grew more disgusted by what became of the Fang._ And to think I used to run with them... _As if destroying an entire city and indiscriminate killing wasn't bad enough, now they dealt in_ slavery _, shipping captives to Mistral to be sold on illegal markets._

 _And if they treated their captives horribly, what they had in store for Gwen and her teammates was way worse... After a failed escape attempt, Fang officers forced them to watch the execution of several fellow prisoners and then had the young huntresses in training whipped half to death. Only a few days in recovery and they were separated, never seeing one another again. Gwen wound up in Stone Creek, only hard labor and misery awaiting her there._

" _The commander made sure that everyone gave me_ _special treatment;_ _if the Fang treated prisoners like shit, what I got was way worse... I'm surprised I haven't slit my own throat yet but something kept me going through all that time."_

 _She was lucky to survive, found and freed by Nebula herself, who survived the ambush and recovered from her wounds... only to end up leading team TNDR on the Stone Creek mission._

 _The liberation of those poor people was but a brief flash of light in the darkness that White Fang worked to create. How many people were suffering under the Fang's iron fist? How many died to their rage?_

 _Nicolaus was afraid to know the answer._

OOo

The guests from Unity were stunned into silence as the fox Faunus recounted everything he saw. Goodwitch excused herself and left the office a while ago, claiming she had things to get done. It was just as likely she couldn't stand listening to more of the Fang's atrocities.

Alas, he wasn't done yet.

"Some five or six weeks later, Qrow Branwen received a tip from another Huntsman about the Fang's large underground base in the southeast of Vale. Naturally, he took my team and what's left of team RWBY with him to check it out." He continued. "We arrived right when the Fangers were in the process of vacating the place... as if they knew someone was coming."

"What did you find?" Acier questioned.

Nicolaus gave him a leveled look. "About the same as in Stone Creek... and worse."

oOo

 _Two pairs of boots thundered down the vacant corridors._

 _The base was mostly empty and only a small number of Fang troopers remained, finishing the cleanup. Of course, they fought tooth and nail once they saw the intruders. It wasn't enough to stop Qrow and his company... but they had to split up to cover more ground which could make them vulnerable._

 _Nicolaus caught footsteps right next to him and bent down just in time to evade an incoming blade. He twisted around and hit the offending Fang thug with his rifle-mace, knocking him down. Then, for a good measure, he added a kick in the head, just to silence the bastard's pained screams._

 _His team leader, Tanya Griffon had caught up with him. "You good, Nick?" She asked, panting a bit. This was her first mission since the fall of Vale City, months ago._

" _Yeah, I'm good." He nudged the unconscious goon with his boot. "Him? Not so much."_

 _She nodded. "Come on. Qrow wants us to find some info, if there's still any; gotta know what the bastards are up to."_

 _Nicolaus didn't get his hopes up. Fang was vacating the place when they got here; he had a feeling they somehow knew they were coming... Just then he suddenly heard voices further down the corridor. "You heard that?" He spoke up, his fox ears perking up._

 _A woman, whimpering and crying. A captive?_

" _Yeah, I did." Griffon scowled, drawing her sabers. "Let's go!"_

 _The two of them followed the voice which led them to a plain rusted steel door. At that moment, Nicolaus heard another voice, deep male grunts. He couldn't explain it but something about it just set him on edge. Griffon stood at the wall on the door's other side and jerked her head towards whatever lay beyond._

 _Nicolaus understood the gesture. With all his might he kicked the door open._

 _The moment he saw the scene... it was as if time came to a screeching halt._

 _A small dimly lit room, bare with only a table in the middle._

 _A girl on the table, laying on her back. She was completely naked, bruises and gashes all over her body and ribs showing under her skin. Her hands were bound tightly to the table's legs and she struggled weakly against the bonds._

 _A man wearing a Fang officer uniform stood at her, restraining her legs by holding them over his shoulders._

His pants were down.

 _Nicolaus remained standing for a single second. That was all it took for his rage to boil over at this heinous sight._

 _The Fang officer noticed the intruders too late._

 _A round from Nicolaus' rifle buried itself in his chest._

 _Then an avalanche of small caliber shots blasted him backwards, away from his helpless victim, and turned his upper torso into an unrecognisable mess of flesh and blood. He was dead before he could make a sound._

 _Griffon stepped quickly to the table and started cutting the ropes restraining the captive. Nicolaus went to do the same but as he approached, the girl kicked him in the chest with an unintelligible scream. He couldn't forget the look of pure terror in her eyes and her frantic attempts to get away from him. She saw him as a threat, despite seeing him for the first time._

 _Just what kind of torture did those swines put her through?_

" _Nick, stay back! I got this!"_

 _Finally managing to cut her bindings, Griffon pulled the frightened girl into her arms. She struggled against her at first... but the presence of another female seemed to calm her somewhat._

" _It's okay, honey... he won't hurt you anymore..."_

 _The captive broke down, her sobs echoing throughout the vacant hallways._

 _OOo_

They all saw some terrible things that day. Mass graves, morgue filled with dead captives, all of them bearing signs of physical abuse... Peregrine and Griffon found one of their missing friends from Vale among the dead. But the Fang officer violating a helpless woman was the scene that stuck in his mind. Nicolaus found it harder to talk.

"It turned out later that the girl Griffon and I saved was another member of Violette's team, Dew Gayl. But none of us recognized her at first. She was just in such miserable shape, both physically and mentally." He spoke quietly, not looking at the visitors. "Only getting her to talk to us took a lot of effort and even then she wasn't making much sense. The only thing we understood was that the officer we killed took her as his personal _plaything._ " The distaste in his voice couldn't be clearer. "Both servant and sex slave... She was put through hell and _it broke her._ " Words seemed to suddenly get stuck in his throat. "Sorry, it's just... difficult to talk about."

"I can only imagine." Acier sighed. His human colleague was better at hiding it but both of them were clearly equally shaken by the testimony. "Did you discover anything important?"

"Only bits and pieces." Nicolaus admitted. "In those few documents we got our hands on, there were references to 'Harbingers of the Revolution.' We think those are highly ranked authorities in Vale's White Fang, who aim to spread their ideology to the rest of the world. The papers mentioned a 'steady stream of recruits' coming from Atlas and something about 'Sienna Khan and her uncooperativeness.'"

"I know that name." Mohn muttered. "She's the leader of Mistral's faction of White Fang. Their policy is also radical but nowhere as violent as its Vale counterpart."

"And it doesn't sit well with Vale's Fang, I think." Nicolaus added. "But what really scares me is the thought that despite what happened to Vale, some of my people actually approve of Fang and their methods. I can't imagine they'd be willing to turn their guns on their own kind and do all this revolting stuff, all in the name of 'Faunus freedom!'"

"We can't allow this." Acier stated resolutely, almost as if reading his mind. "Our people need to see White Fang for what it really is; a bastardization of the formerly peaceful organization and its ideals, hell bent on plunging the world into the war of attrition. Your testimony, as well as stories of other people, will help us thin the base of the Fang's support. It just might be enough to undermine their power."

 _Only we have far worse enemies,_ Nicolaus thought grimly, _the kind that doesn't need brute force to do harm. How can we stop someone who uses guile, manipulation and subterfuge as their main weapons?_

This was a question no one had an answer for yet.

* * *

The 'conversation' with Unity's spokesmen lasted more than two hours... and succeeded to bring back all nightmares Nicolaus worked so hard to banish.

He knew that in this line of work he would confront gruesome sights sooner or later. But never in his life he thought it would be that soon. Seeing dead Faunus miners in TITAN Beta mine was terrible but it paled in comparison to what would come later on. First breach, Festival massacre, fall of Vale City, Stone creek and the unnamed underground base lost in the mountains... and it was all done by an organization that taught him nigh everything he knew. How come he didn't end up on the same dark path like Frey, his one-time friend?

They both shared the same friends, a mix of humans and fellow Faunus, while living in the streets, surviving on whatever they managed to steal, sticking together through thick and thin, no matter what. Frey and him weren't all that different... so what went wrong?

It didn't matter.

Nicolaus knew where he stood, dedicating his life to fighting for a safer, better world. So did Frey, fighting for terrorist that wanted to claim Remnant for themselves as their dominion and kill everyone standing in their way. It was all too clear the next time they met would end up with one of them dead... and he could do nothing but accept it.

Sighing deeply, the fox Faunus headed to the training room. The memories were becoming too much and he needed to drive them away.

* * *

Author's notes: _This is no. 2 trailer in this series. I probably should've said it earlier but the shorts contain references to past events in both To be a Huntsman (the main story) and Hunters and life (the oneshot collection). Recommend reading through those in case something isn't clear... or purely if you're feeling curious.  
_

 _ _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)____


	4. E: Return of the nightmare

The full moon shone brightly on the night skies, illuminating Beacon campus and surrounding areas with its pale light. The overall scenery had changed a lot about five months ago; all it took was one single night... Gone was the green glow of the CCT transmitter sitting on the now non-existent top of Beacon tower. Where the lights of Vale City shone brightly, indicating a place full of life, was now a mostly dark spot. Vale City, or what was left of it after the Grimm invasion, was largely deserted. All that remained was a field hospital and a sizeable garrison of Vale and Atlesian troops in the relatively intact industrial district.

Beacon was a busy place after the disaster, crowded with refugees and wounded civilians... but those were all gone now, moved to safer areas. The campus was usually half-empty these days since many students were away on missions which sometimes lasted more than a couple of days. As of this moment, it was an hour or two before midnight and everyone present was fast asleep... with a few exceptions.

One of which was down the path leading to the landing pad. A young man, broad-shouldered and tall, almost freakishly so; while few inches shorter than Yatsuhashi from team CFVY, he still towered over most fellow students in the academy. And he also possessed some powerful, well-defined musculature which was clearly visible even under all his clothes. The first glance would suggest this man was not to be trifled with. The reality was, well... much more complicated than that.

The giant reached the large statue placed in front of the main entrance. He sat on a small bench nearby, observing the stars flickering on the cloudless sky.

It would appear that way to a casual observer, at least. But Desmond Lenius wasn't here to stargaze.

Well, it _was_ 'Desmond Lenius'... that is, until the fateful chance meeting that took place right near the aforementioned statue. At that moment, everything about him was called into question. His life, as he knew it, turned out to be but an illusion... as did his name.

Until that encounter, he remembered living with a single mother, his father having died in an accident that nearly killed him, too. The earliest thing he remembered was a room in Vale hospital and he was no small kid back then. He remembered nothing before that but never thought much of it. Being different from most kids of his age, he wasn't particularly well-liked although he didn't seem to mind much. Well-developed and imposing on the physical side and somewhat backward in terms of intelligence, which made him a target of frequent jabs. _Idiot,_ that's what people often called him, as both medical term and insult. But in spite of that, he had his dreams of becoming a Huntsman, a hero that would save the world one day. Thus he took it into his head he would apply for Beacon Academy. No one took him seriously at first, but that changed when he showed a degree of talent in swordplay. True, his academic knowledge was lousy, and that was putting it mildly... but somehow he was accepted into the famed school.

It was a life-changing experience, literally in his case.

He didn't mind that many fellow students would poke fun at him for his childish behavior and lack of smarts. What did it matter when he had a couple of friends who accepted him for what he was?

Alas, things got complicated in the second semester when he started experiencing flashbacks, seeing people he never met, and places he'd never been to. It seemed surreal, confusing... and frightening as all hell. It began with a panic attack at the sight of a medical injection... and it only got worse from there. His partner, a fox Faunus named Nicolaus, tried his best to help him, and it even somewhat worked.

But then the Tournament came... and with it, an encounter with a strange little girl named Neo which turned his life completely upside down. And it happened right there, near the statue and the bench he was sitting on.

Although he didn't know at the time, he and Neo had met years ago... and what he learned from her was something he wouldn't see coming even in his wildest dreams.

Olivia Lenius, the woman he thought to be his mother, wasn't even remotely related to him to begin with.

'Desmond Lenius' wasn't his real name. It was 'Emery,' just Emery, last name unknown, lost far before his first memory ever. His real parents... only Oum knew where they were now, if they were even alive.

But the most shocking was the revelation of him being a part of a military experiment, which he never got a chance to refuse, apparently.

Project Ajax, a secret project aiming to produce super-soldiers, ultimate warriors gifted with extraordinary abilities that would either protect the world and all people living in it... or crush anyone their masters pointed at. That was all these enhanced soldiers were; obedient tools, living weapons of mass destruction who would follow all orders with no questions ever asked. It showed in the way they recruits were treated during the training. Instructors pushed them to their very limits every day, not caring a whit that the conscripts were just children, none of them older than eight. Later on, the recruits were pitted against one another and forced into a kill-or-be-killed scenario, from which only the strongest emerged alive. It wasn't much of a victory because their already impossible training routine became even more intense.

Physical punishments were nothing out of the ordinary. At first, they were used to maintain strict discipline; then the instructors used them whenever a trainee failed to carry out their tasks properly, to the letter... And later the physical abuse became something of a sport, a means to strip the future super-soldiers of everything that made them human. Enhancements, which were intended to improve their bodies, were another thing entirely. In many cases this stuff was experimental, untested, and many recruits died in agonizing pain because of it. A few trainees were already driven to a breaking point during the combat drills... and the enhancements pushed them over the edge. The insane and the insubordinate were disposed of.

The treatment of the trainees was horrible enough, but the methods the Project leaders resorted to when provide new recruits was outright heinous. At first, they picked up orphans or basically any unwanted children. When those ran out, they resorted to kidnapping children from their families. In order to eliminate the risk of the Project's activities being exposed, they would orchestrate accidents during which the parents would be killed and their surviving children taken, always making sure none of those accidents could be linked to the Project itself.

In short, from the moment of its conception, Project Ajax was willing to commit atrocities for what they saw as a 'good cause.' The end justifies the means, as the saying goes. Emery should know because he went through this hell himself. True, he still didn't know anything about his life before the Project but even if he did it wouldn't make a difference since that part of his life was forever lost now. It was strange that he didn't remember any of it before because this kind of experience would surely haunt a man for the rest of his life, or drive him insane. But Neo, this strange girl with the looks of a porcelain doll, was able to shed some light on this mystery.

Once upon a time, she was 'recruited' into the project as well, about three years before Emery came along. She's seen and experienced it all; beatings for not following orders properly, exhaustion after each and every day of gruelling training regime, first time she had to kill someone, the cursed enhancements, generally being treated as something less than human, _a thing._ The hostile environment almost succeeded in breaking her, almost.

Then Emery appeared, dragged into the underground base with the latest batch of recruits, and he was dropped right into the thick of things, not given even a moment to acclimatize. But unlike many others, he wouldn't break easily, despite all that's been done to him. And the Project leaders didn't like that... They needed an obedient, merciless killing machine, and Emery's optimism and sometims rebellious behavior threatened all their progress. Thus instructors started giving him 'special attention', but nothing seemed to wok.

As life under the Project's heavy-handed rule became more difficult, recruits began looking for a way to escape their daily misery. Thus a rebellion was born, one that Emery eagerly took part in... and somehow managed to talk Neo into joining. Their first attempt ended up a failure... and a whole fifth of all recruits ended up executed as both exemplary punishment and warning. Then the leaders of the rebellion were forced into another experiment session... one that was supposed to end with their agonizing demise.

oOo

 _Struggling and kicking against the guards that restrained him, Emery tried to escape from the surgery room. Seeing all those instruments and an assortment of injections laid out on the table, he knew what was going to happen. This many concoctions could kill a horse slowly and painfully, even more so when most of them were untested. This was the punishment for his courage to try and take his life back, he realized. It only made him try harder to escape. He couldn't let them do this, not to him, or Neo, or Chang, or anyone else._

 _Even when little over ten years old, he was giving the guards a hard time. No wonder one of them got tired of wrestling him into submission and hit him in the head with a steel baton. So hard that his vision began swimming and he felt like throwing up. It was enough to stop his struggling._

 _The man in the white coat walked casually to the table and picked up an injection containing a pale yellow fluid while his lackeys strapped Emery to the table. He still attempted to fight against the restraints, earning a hard blow to his stomach for his effort. Those goons didn't hold back, they never did._

" _You brought this on yourself, you ungrateful shit." The scientist, a tall man in his fourties, sporting round glasses and a moustache, glared at the restrained boy. "You could've been the part of something great, you know. We made you, we gave you a purpose, to be both guardian and champion of humanity, defeating anyone who could ever threaten it. Anyone else would've taken pride in that. But you chose to spit on all that, wasting powers_ we _gave you on destroying everything we worked so hard to achieve. And we will not tolerate that." He approached with the injection in his hand. Emery couldn't help it but shrink away from him, as far as the restraints allowed. "You don't want to be a part of something great, to make a history? Fine by me, it's your choice. But we'll make sure history won't remember_ you _at all."_

 _Without warning he stabbed the injection into Emery's arm and pushed its contents into his bloodstream. For a moment, nothing happened. Then his vision went white as searing pain shot throughout his body._

 _Not perturbed by his pained screams in the least, the white coat grabbed another injection, light blue in color._

" _Just another unmarked grave." That was the last thing Emery heard before his consciousness was smashed into pieces by an explosion of agony._

OOo

Leaning forward on the bench, Emery shuddered slightly, head dropping into his hands. He hated that memory. At the time, he thought this was the end for him; drugged to death simply because he wasn't willing to take the torture lying down. Except that wasn't the end, not even remotely.

It was a small comfort but the Project was no more, hasn't been for years. As Neo told him, during what could be only described as deliberatly slow, agonizing execution, another riot broke out. Only this time the Project staff was overwhelmed by all trainees attacking at once. Sometime during the ensuing pandemonium, a fire broke out, destroying the facility and killing anyone who wasn't killed in the fight between the trainees and the Project's personnel. As far as Emery knew, him and Neo were the only survivors.

As shocking as it was to learn who, or _what,_ he really was, it felt... nice to have a kindred soul at his side, someone who could really understand him.

It didn't last long, however, because aboard the hijacked Atlesian cruiser, during the night when Vale City fell, he learned who Neo really was.

A henchwoman for Roman Torchwick, a hired blade, paid assassin... _a killer._ Efficient, ruthless and absolutely unapologetic.

That was when their ways parted, possibly for good.

Neo and Emery might've come from the same harsh environment, shared living space for years, went through the same torture... but in the end, they couldn't have come out any more different.

He wanted to escape from the project because he wanted to live his life for himself, because he refused to let his masters take away his ability to make his own choices, mold him into a soulless tool of destruction. Even if it didn't turn out the way he hoped in the end. Those damn concoctions must've damaged him more than he thought if he ended up basically like an overgrown child. He still didn't know how it happened or what caused it but ever since coming to Beacon he slowly began to, well, _heal_ somehow. His old memories and personality surfaced again over time... and when the truth about him came out, his team simply accepted it, just like that.

But Neo?

Emery assumed she joined the riot for the same reasons like he did. However, he quickly ceased beliving that the moment he found out she was working for a crime lord... and repeatedly tried to kill his friends. She had been given a chance to be something more than just a puppet, a thing... and what did she do with it? That's right, she became the very thing she hated... or Emery thought so, at least. He didn't know what to think, or if there was anything left of the girl he used to know.

Right, they fought during their very last meeting and she nearly killed him, too.

 _Maybe it's best that I forget her,_ he told himself. It might've been different at one point, but now he and Neo had almost nothing in common outside their experience in Project Ajax. She was an enemy now and he should treat her as such, should the two of them cross paths again. But their history didn't make this any easier...

His inner musing was interrupted by a series of footsteps approaching the place where he sat. He looked up and saw a couple of police officers approaching, wearing VPD uniforms. It struck him as odd, seeing policemen on Beacon campus; he wasn't aware that the police force was still present here. They weren't even needed in a ruined and abandoned city.

The two policeme stopped a few steps away from him, regarding him with critical gaze. Emery found it curious that they both possessed tall and athletic frames; officers in VPD usually didn't care much to keep in shape and obesity was a common problem in their ranks.

"Are you Desmond Lenius?" One of them asked, not even bothering to offer a greeting first. That was unusually forward... and Emery wasn't sure if he liked it.

"Um, yeah." He replied. It wasn't his real name, not anymore, but he couldn't risk anyone finding out what he really was. It spelled problems not only for himself but anyone connected to him, so he kept up this farce for now. "Why are you asking?"

"I need you to come with us." Came the blunt reply.

Emery now knew there was something fishy about this situation. Why would the police bother looking for him? As far as people knew, he was but an average huntsman in training, like the hundreds of other people at Beacon. "Why?" He asked.

"Your life is in danger." The officer replied. "Someone is trying to kill you, and we have a reason to assume it's the same person that murdered your father years ago."

As far as Desmond Lenius knew, his father died in a car accident and he ended up in a hospital for weeks afterward. Investigation showed no foul play, though he didn't understood what it meant at the time. Emery, however, never knew his real parents... and the closest person to a father figure died when the remains of the Project's staff tried to stop him from taking Emery away.

While Desmond would say this is probably a mistake, Emery just knew the cop was talking out of his ass... and probably wasn't a real cop at all. Which begged the question: _who were those guys?_

"Dad was killed in a car crash. It was an accident, that's all." He answered, playing the part of an unsuspecting teenager.

The other officer leaned to his colleague. He was whispering so he wouldn't hear... but Emery caught what he said anyway.

"Told you he wouldn't buy it..."

Emery rose from the bench when he suddenly heard noises right behind him. In the next few moments, a quartet of thugs, clad in all black, rushed him from behind and dragged him to the ground. Surprised by the sudden onslaught, Emery tried to throw them off, which was difficult to do since he was pushed into a prone position. One of the attacker rammed a baton into his back, knocking the air out of his lungs.

"Okay boss, we got him!" A man on his right grunted. "What now?"

"Do I really have to spell it out for ya idiots?" The cop that spoke to him earlier barked out. "Give 'im sedatives, lot's of 'em. Can't risk him tryin' to escape on the way back to Atlas."

 _Atlas?!_

Emery struggled even harder, earning a few kicks to the side.

The boss of the assailants knelt next to his head. "So, Mr. 140803-EQ, you really thought you could escape us? Well, you thought wrong, buddy." He mocked, ruffling his hair roughly. "Your little Beacon dream is over; you're comin' with us, like it or not."

140803-EQ... That was what passed for his name back during his Project days. Emery realized, with immense horror, that this was what Neo warned him about, back when they were still on talking terms. Just how long were those bastards spying on him before making their move? There was no one around to help him; no one could possibly miss an attempt at kidnapping... and said attempt would be successful if he didn't do something _now._

 _No... I'm not coming back! They won't steal my life again!_

While one of the thugs fumbled with his belt trying to find the sedatives, the boss continued to laugh at his captive, even proceeding to sit on his back, his feet on either side of Emery's head. „That's right, you're comin' home; ain't that _great?_ The dear doctor Todd Engell is restartin' the project and he'd _love_ for you to be there to see it! Though he'd be even happier if we caught that freaky-eyed bitch," The faux cop spat to the floor. "He has a score to settle with her after she slaughtered his boys the other day-"

 _I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE!_

Taking his chance, Emery turned his head and sank his teeth into the faux cop's leg, right above the ankle.

The cop's triumphant rant was abruptly cut off; he screamed in pain as Emery bit down hard on his leg, his teeth penetrating all the way to the bone.

The other thugs were startled by their boss' agonized wail and momentarily loosened the hold on their captive.

This was his only chance... and he was going to make it count.

Spitting out the blood pouring into his mouth, Emery quickly rolled onto his back, throwing off the men trying to restrain him. The faux cop remained laying on the ground, favoring his bleeding leg and screaming his head off.

The one goon that managed to remain standing swung his steel baton at Emery's head. He stopped the blow with his arm. It hurt like hell but he knew far worse fate awaited him of he stopped. He rammed his foot into the thug's knee... with a force that made it bend completely backwards.

There was a sickening crunch of snapping tendons and ligaments. The injured thug dropped his weapon and fell to the ground with a whimper, the shock from his injury keeping him from screaming.

Grabbing the baton, Emery quickly scrambled to his feet. Another baton hit his shoulder but he shrugged the blow off and threw a counterattack which only barely missed the offender.

Surrounded by four remaining goons closing in from all sides, Emery lowered into a combat stance, summoning his Aura.

The attackers paused as they saw a light blue glow surrounding his body. "Aura?" One of them exclaimed, eyes widened in panic. "The contract never said anything about Aura!"

"We can take him down!" The other faux cop shouted. "It's just one guy!"

The goons resumed their attack, suddenly not so eager to fight.

And for a good reason.

Emery charged and literally plowed through them, knocking two to the ground. A baton struck his back, the force of the blow was absorbed by his Aura. He whirled around and lashed out, hitting a thug right in the jaw. The blow threw him backwards and knocked out a few teeth.

The uninjured cop ran at him with a taser, trying to shock him into submission.

Emery caught the hand carrying the device and twisted it behind the assailant's back, forcing him to drop it. Once the taser slipped out of his grasp, Emery kicked the cop away and stomped on the device, destroying it.

He then was assaulted by the other three goons, two of them armed with long daggers instead of batons.

"We're to take him alive!" The cop roared. "Don't fuck this up, damn it!"

The boss was still on the ground, whimpering as he nursed his leg. A copious amount of blood poured out of the bite wound, already starting to form a sizeable puddle.

Even when outnumbered, Emery managed to keep the assailants at bay. Deflecting a knife coming at his stomach, he ducked under a baton swinging at his face and threw his left hand forward, sending a goon stumbling backwards. Then he rammed his baton into another goon's side, landing a hit that cracked a few ribs. A knife was coming at his chest but he threw his hands up, baton clanking against the offending blade and knocking it away. Its owner was thrown off balance and Emery used the opening to deal him a devastating headbutt.

Suddenly a couple of gunshots rang out.

Emery winced as three bullets struck his body. His protective Aura saved his life but it flickered and died.

"NOW BOYS!" The other cop commanded, holding a smoking pistol.

The next moment, Emery felt a knife being rammed hilt-deep into his shoulder.

The rage that bubbled inside him, aimed at Project Ajax for everything it did to him, at Neo for her betrayal, at the goons that tried to kidnap him, at this Engell character for trying to steal his life again, the rage he tried to supress had finally boiled over.

His body suddenly became a blur of movements.

In a single smooth motion, Emery torn the dagger out of his back and threw it at the faux cop holding a pistol. It struck him right where his heart was and he went down with a wet gurgle escaping his bloodied mouth.

Next came the goon that attempted to stab at his side. Emery punched him hard in the stomach, making him double over and drop his knife. He snatched it out of the air and rammed it right into the thug's eye, killing him before he could hit the ground.

Emery moved lightning-fast and in a few long strides he popped up right before the third thug. Before his adversary could do anything, Emery rammed his fist into his throat. The force of the blow snapped the man's neck instantly and he dropped to the ground like a puppet with cut strings.

The last remaining thug stared at him, completely paralyzed with fear. He didn't even try to defend himself as Emery grabbed him by the throat and started pummeling away at his face. When Emery finally let go of him, he was barely alive, his face a featureless bloody mess; shattered jaw, teeth bashed out, and most facial bones broken into pieces.

As his fury gradually wore off and he came back to his senses, Emery realized he was in the middle of a massacre.

Three people dead, one soon-to-be-dead, and two wounded, one of them most likely lamed for life.

The reality of what he just did began sinking in.

His legs gave out and he fell heavily onto the ground, shocked beyond words. He never thought he alone could be capable of such carnage, but here he was standing among corpses. Was Neo right? Was he just a killing machine and nothing could be done about it?

A sound of footsteps reached his ears. He turned around and saw his partner Nicolaus approaching with gun in his hands.

"Dear God, what happened here?" The fox Faunus whispered in shock, taking in the blood scene. "Did you...?"

"Nick, I didn't want to- They tried to kidnap me!" Emery stammered out. "I had to defend myself!"

"What? Why?"

"They're from Project Ajax!" He whispered frantically. "Some guy named Todd Engell is trying to restart it and hired these thugs to bring me back to Atlas! I- I couldn't let them... You gotta understand-"

"I'll tell you everything!" The leader of the would-be kidnappers wailed. His legs still hadn't stopped bleeding. "Just get me a doctor! I'm fucking bleeding out in he-"

Emery could do nothing but watch in pure consternation as his partner walked to the thug and _broke his neck,_ silencing him for good. Nicolaus did the same with the other surviving thug, who had passed out from sheer pain of having his knee shattered.

"Nick?! Why-"

"I had to, Emery!" The fox Faunus cut him off. "They would reveal everything about the Project, including you! Then you'd have not only this Engell character, but also authorities in all Kingdoms hunt you down! We can't let that happen!"

Emery was stunned. Most people would run away from him in fear, call him a monster or even try and kill him. Nicolaus not only did none of those things, but also stained his own hands with people's blood just to protect him from the world. Only now it hit him how lucky he was to have someone like him at his side.

"Let's go see Goodwitch." Nicolaus stated in a sober tone. "She should know there was _an attempt on your life_ right on Beacon's doorstep."

Emery nodded dumbly, staring a few moments longer at the people Nicolaus killed for him. It occurred to him he should show some gratitude to his 'partner in crime.' "You didn't have to do... _that,_ you know... but thanks, really."

"Don't mention it." The fox Faunus replied, offering one of his rare smiles. "Us rejects have to stick together, right?"

* * *

Author's note: _Yes they do, Nick. Yes they do._

 _I should probably let you know that I most likely won't be able to release the last short 'till this year's end. I hit a minor writer's block and it ended up with me unable to write anything worthwhile. Just a heads-up; apologies and wish you all a happy New Year!_


	5. R: Vengeance vs conscience

_"Our enemies aren't going to sit around and wait for graduation day. They're out there somewhere planning their next move and we don't know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not."_

" _For the White Fang!"_

" _No one will grant us the freedoms we desire; we must win them for ourselves."_

 _"As far as I'm concerned, all humans can burn in hell now… and _you_ will be there to greet them!"_

" _...we can expect nothing short of a genocidal campaign against humanity."_

 _"Hunters are but one of many means humans use to keep our kind down. And what better way to send a message than to make an example of one of humanity's 'best and brightest'?"_

 _" _How can a bunch of children, albeit trained in combat, protect you against the dangers of this world when they couldn't even protect themselves against a gang of cutthroats?"_ _

_"Time to say goodbye!"_

In that precise moment, the young Huntsman in training abruptly woke up. With a choked cry he sat up on his bed, throwing off the covers.

The skies outside were dark. It was in the dead of the night. The man looked around and found the other occupants of the room were still fast asleep, much to his relief. He knew his team leader hated it when someone interrupted her rest and wouldn't hesitate to give the offender a piece of her mind... _or_ her fist. Doing his best to be as quiet as possible, he got off the bed and slipped out of the room, carefully closing the door behind him.

Outside in the empty hallway, Roland Peregrine leaned his back on the wall and let himself sink to the floor, sighing deeply as he began massaging his temple. The last few months haven't been kind to him, his team, his friends... or anyone else at Beacon. There was always so much work to do since Vale City fell; Grimm extermination, scavenging, strikes against White Fang, recon mission... there was little time to attend classes and no homework couldn't make up for a lack of resting time.

The workload definitely made things difficult and students had trouble even getting out of bed after being on a mission nigh every day. But sometimes, fatigue or lack of rest paled in comparison to what students encountered during the missions. In most cases, it was mutilated corpses that never got a proper burial and were simply left where they lay. Sometimes, students came back injured after being ambushed by the few Grimm that remained in the city. The particularly unlucky ones had to deal with White Fang and its increasingly brutal tactics. Every student team at Beacon ran into them at least once outside the Academy. However, it were teams JNPR, TNDR and remains of RWBY that had the dubious honor of clashing regularly with this supremacist group.

Qrow Branwen took over Ozpin's investigation into White Fang and its 'allies,' including Cinder Fall and her underlings. Despite being the best Huntsman available, he was no miracle worker so sometimes he would take students with him in the field. This hands-on approach was the best way of teaching in his mind and the reality seemed to prove Qrow right. Students were learning faster than they ever could in the confines of the Academy, stuck in classrooms or beating one another in the Arena. The everyday contact with the harsh and unforgiving world taught them all one fundamental truth; _if you can't adapt, you're as good as dead._

However, there was a dark side to this practical way of learning as every day the students would be confronted by the cruel and ugly side of the world.

The real life was no fairy tale. They were all well aware of it when applying to Beacon and accepted the danger of witnessing terrible things that could stick with them for the rest of their lives and had the potential of driving them insane. It would come down to that one day... But this was way too soon. Roland himself lost countless hours of sleep, haunted by all the appalling things he saw, and he was pretty sure his teammates and friends faced the same problem.

Not even two semesters in and the Hunters in training already saw death and destruction on an uprecedented scale. Roland himself had nearly died when his team got lured into a trap laid by White Fang. The cybernetic prosthesis that replaced his right arm served as a reminder of his brush with death. The disaster of Vale City was another thing entirely. There was no one in Beacon who didn't see people die or come close to being killed, no one who didn't lose someone close or hadn't faced the possibility of losing their loved ones. Lives were lost, teams were broken up, people were struck by grief and all the horrors of the battlefield.

And if that was enough to break some, White Fang was capable of summoning horrors of whole another kind and every encounter with those maniacs seemed to conjure a new nightmare.

The Faunus terrorists seemed hell bent on escalating the brutality and ammorality of their actions, like indiscriminate slaughter of anyone who didn't ally themselves with the Fang, humans and Faunus alike. When Roland first saw them executing civilians during the battle for Vale City, something broke inside him. It was the very first fight in which he actually _intended_ to kill.

Then came the mission in Stone Creek where his team, accompanying Qrow Branwen, discovered the Fang's involvement in a slave trafficking network. It was the only reason why they stopped murdering everyone they came across. In hindsight, they all should've expected that. After occupying multiple villages at the fringes of the Kingdom's territory they had abundance of prisoners which they could sell into slavery, usually in Mistral, and get more funds for their operations. And they could keep some captives for their own needs.

The prisoners freed in Stone Creek had a lot to tell about appalling conditions they lived in and the treatment from their masters. Laborous work, harsh punishments for most minor offences, insults and humiliation every day. The Fang had a special kind of hell in store for anyone that fought them and had the misfortune of being captured. Like Gwen Darcy, who spent weeks in Fang's captivity and suffered through beating, starving, and other kinds of torture.

And things would get only worse from there...

Some time later, only a few days, after Tanya was finally allowed to rejoin their team, Qrow approached them and told them about the location of a large underground base several miles southeast of Stone Creek. The elite Huntsman gave them a choice to accompany him. Even after witnessing all the horrible things in the Fang's outposts, team TNDR accepted. Roland was starting to think they were all secretly sadists...

The fight at the base wasn't any easier than their previous skirmishes with White Fang. Worse, it seemed that the Faunus terrorists did their best to disprove their assumption that their appaling behavior couldn't get any worse.

Oh, how wrong they _all_ were...

Personally, Roland hated remembering that particular mission and the consequences of the Fang's new, hardline supremacist, anti-human ideology were only one of many reasons. There were many unpleasant surprises his team was faced with... some of which did their damnedest to kill them.

oOo

 _The offending blade cut the air right next to him, just a few inches shy of biting into his flesh._

 _He cursed as he only narrowly evaded the attack. His team was forced to split up to cover more ground as they explored the base. It was only a matter of time before the Fang regrouped and laid an ambush on them in the depths of the underground complex._

 _That was how Emery and Roland found themselves in a fight for their lives. Sure, they faced greater numbers and survived but these bastards were especially persistent..._

 _Blocking an incoming blade, Roland twisted his rifle-axe and threw the offending weapon away, retaliating with a quick jab with the axe head... only for his opponent to leap nimbly away. The Fang grunt was a head shorter than him, but Roland knew better than to underestimate his opponent. Firing off a couple shouts to keep the goon from counterattacking, he took a wild swing at his side. The goon managed to block, though the force of the blow managed to stagger him a bit. Roland then launched into a flurry of strikes, twisting and spinning his weapon until his opponent eventually got overwhelmed and his blade was sent flying out of his grasp._

 _He glanced away for a short moment, seeing his teammate mopping up the attackers with almost no effort. Then he aimed his rifle at the disarmed trooper. "It's over, pal. Get on the floor, hands behind your back, now!"_

 _The thug wasn't willing to give up. Instead he leapt at the gunman, hands going for his throat._

 _Biting back a curse, Roland fired, hitting the thug's shoulder. It did absolutely nothing, though... and in the next moment a foreign pair of hands latched onto his throat and squeezed hard. Dropping his weapon, Roland punched the bastard that was trying to choke the life out of him in the stomach. The thug gasped as the metal fist buried itself in his midsection, and released his grip on the human's throat. Roland then shoved the goon away and slammed the left fist into his jaw, sending him sprawling on the floor._

The bastards are getting tougher with each day... _Roland thought to himself, rubbing his bruised throat._

" _Damn," Emery remarked as he looked at the knocked out troopers. "They_ really _wanted us dead."_

" _Tell me about it." Roland grunted. He shoved his unconscious foe with his boot, rolling him onto his back. Then he knelt down and reached out to pull off the thug's mask, curious to see who was the bastard that gave him such hard time._

 _He wasn't prepared to see a_ very _youthful face staring back at him. A shocked gasp escaped his lips; the boy was barely in his teens._

oOo

It was a shocking revelation to all of them. Roland couldn't help it but feel worried that so many Faunus were eager to join White Fang, men, women, _children,_ even after everything those terrorists did to both humans and their own kind. The hatred must've run deeper than they all thought if the Fangers were willing to use _kids_ in the fight against humankind. That pissed him off more than ever.

As his team moved through the base, they discovered sights even more appalling than child soldiers.

While he and Emery were busy clashing with goons who were _way too young_ to be soldiers, their teammates found out the hard way that the Fang used their captives not only as labor fit for the more dangerous tasks but would also force them into tending to their _carnal needs..._ and the poor women who had the ill luck of being chosen for such task were given no choice.

Once he caught up with the other half of his team, Roland was surprised to see his team leader carry a shivering naked girl, beaten and starved. The poor thing was obviously severely traumatized and wouldn't talk to anyone at first. Worse, she would start panicking whenever a male approached her. Tanya knew the reason for that, given the revolting scene she chanced upon. The girl in her arms was a sex slave and the Fang treated her as such, beating her every time she refused to obey her masters. Her ordeal might've been over, but the horrors she endured would stick with her for a long time.

Few hours later, the defenders of the facility were finally defeated. Somehow, Qrow and co. managed to capture most of their foes and locked them in a brig. Nevertheless, with the exception of Emery, all of them were forced to kill a few especially vicious goons that refused to yield. Roland took no pleasure in killing Fang troopers, in spite of all their crimes... but with every ecounter he grew to hate this particularly vile enemy even more.

As if things couldn't get any worse, Qrow and co. found a mass grave, still yet to be covered, and a morgue some time later. The room was filled to the brim with dead bodies. Most of them were slaves in dirty ragged clothes. It was all too obvious what end those poor sods met... and the sight of a couple corpses sporting White Fang colors brought no vindication, _or relief._ Nobody bothered to cover them up so their bloody wounds were on full display. Gashes, cuts, bruises, gunshot and stab wounds; whatever those people went through could only be described as 'hell on earth.'

So much death in one place... and when Tanya suddenly ran over to one of the cots, he suddenly knew it was about to get worse.

 _oOo_

 _He watched her brush black locks out of the deceased female's face... and sank to her knees moments later, her body trembling._

 _In several long strides he was at her side. "What's wrong?" He asked urgently._

 _She didn't anwer at first. With a trembling hand, she pulled up the sleeve of the dead woman's ruined shirt, revealing a deathly pale skin adorned by an intricate tattoo that seemed to wrap around her arm._

 _Roland clenched his fists unvoluntarily. He saw this tattoo before... and only thanks to them he recognized the girl on the cot._

" _Ellie... they killed her..." Came the whisper, thick with grief._

 _Ellie was Tanya's good friend, long before he came along and befriended her and the rest of Emile's gang; a martial arts enthusiast that loved tattoos, seeing them as a way of expressing oneself. Though coming off as brash sometimes, she never hesitated to offer help if someone needed it... and seeing her like this pained him immensely. His eyes trailed over her chest and up to her neck where he saw a black line running across her throat._

They slit her throat and left her to choke on her own blood, the bastards... _She didn't deserve such a horrible death. Ellie never bore ill will towards Faunus... yet it didn't stop her captors from murdering her in cold blood._

" _I- I'm so sorry..." Tanya choked out, holding onto her friend's cold body as if it were a lifeline._

 _Kneeling down beside her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. They stayed like this for a while, mourning a friend who departed way before her time._

oOo

Ellie Hummingbyrd was taken to Beacon where she received a proper burial; she deserved better than to be tossed into a huge hole in the ground and forever forgotten simply as one of many casualties.

Tanya barely said a word since she discovered Ellie's dead body, only giving occasional orders to her teammates. It was difficult for her, knowing she would never see one of her best friends again. Were it up to him, Roland would leave that godforsaken place as soon as possible; his fury grew at every thing he saw in there. Alas, Qrow wanted to search the base for any useful information.

... and then there was also the question how to deal with the captured Fang troopers.

Branwen thought he might get some useful info out of the prisoners. There was over two dozens of them, though and that didn't include a few young brats that had the terrific idea of joining the Fang. As soon as the fight broke out, the recruits quite literally scrambled over each other trying to hide from the 'big bad humans,' though Qrow and co. caught them pretty quickly. The veteran Huntsman thought of a rather crude but efficient way of dissuading the recruits from 'joining the fight for freedom' or whatever the Fangers called it.

One visit to the morgue and a glance at the emaciated slaves, all acompanied by a blunt, biting commentary from Branwen, and the potential troopers were cured of any thoughts of ever becoming freedom fighters. Roland still remembered the looks of pure shock on their faces as they were shown everything that White Fang _neglected_ to mention. He couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of nonsense the Fangers filled their heads with just to get them to join.

Then it came down to interrogations and Qrow asked the students to help out... which, in hindsight, was a mistake.

After previous experiences, Roland wasn't sure if he even could stay in one room with the captured Fang troopers without doing anything _drastic._ Those guys were nothing but murderers who slaughtered innocents by dozens without any hesitation or remorse... and he found it difficult to even look them in the eyes, let alone talk to them, especially after what he saw earlier that day. Despite that he did agree to help, hoping he could contain his urge to beat the snot out of the bastards long enough to take his fury out on some poor Grimm later.

Yet he failed, _miserably so..._

oOo

 _A bare room with a table and a couple chairs in the middle. Two captive Fang troopers sat on the chairs, hands restrained behind their backs. The older one glared fiercely at his captors... the other one seemed a bit too meek for a hardcore terrorist. Still, Roland tried to look at anything_ but _those two._

 _He and Nicolaus were at this for hour... and they didn't get anywhere with the questioning. Most of the goons they caught were lowly grunts; those small fries couldn't have known anything important. Fangers were in the process of vacating the base when Qrow and co. kicked down their front door; no wonder there were no officers around. What a convenient timing to wrap things up in here... This couldn't have been a coincidence. Alas, they had other things to worry about._

 _Pickup wouldn't arrive until an hour or two so there was plenty of time. Qrow was in the next room, taking his time questioning other captives. Tan and Emery remained with the freed slaves; the team leader tried to coax some info out of them, just to keep herself from thinking about Ellie and her lifeless body in the morgue._

" _You guys won't gain anything by clamming up. You know that, right?" Nicolaus spoke in a level voice. "We could always deliver you to Atlas, and the people there won't be as..._ polite, _as I am."_

" _I ain't telling you shit, traitor!" The cocky thug snapped back. "Go ahead and take me to your_ masters _in Atlas; maybe you'll get a treat for that,_ lapdog! _"_

" _Traitor?_ Me? _" The fox Faunus scoffed at the accusation. "I'm not the one murdering my own people just because they don't want an interracial war! When humans decide to strike back, what do you think will happen to White Fang when it drove away all its allies, hm?"_

" _We don't need allies! We're stronger than anyone who dares oppose us!"_

" _Funny," Roland remarked casually. Nobody noticed he struggled to keep his voice leveled. "If you're so goddamn strong, then how did you get yourself captured?" There was no answer. "I know why; it's because despite all your bravado and big talk, you White Fang types are just a bunch of_ fucking pussies. _" Resting his hands on the table, he leaned forward with a smirk. "Why else would you target civilians who can't fight back instead of fighting those who can? And don't even get me started on your partnership with the_ Witch in red... _" A code name for Cinder Fall, the enemy number one. "Bottom line, you guys are a bunch of murderers, terrorists and hypocrites. Nothing more."_

" _Your time will come, scum!" The thug snarled. "Every oppressor has a price on their head!"_

 _Ignoring his hate-filled rant, Roland turned to the other grunt who barely said a word during the questioning. "What about you, boy? You look like a freshman in a combat school, with the way you're shaking in that chair."_

" _Don't tell him anything, Tojo!" His comrade hissed at him._

" _You should be more worried about me." The gunman glowered at the shaking goon. "What do you have to say for yourself, killer?"_

 _The poor bastard began shaking like a leaf. "I- I don't know anything!" He stammered, oblivous to his comrade's murderous glare. "I'm just a grunt, I do whatever I'm told! I didn't even kill anyone, you gotta believe me!"_

 _Unfortunately, the gunman knew this was bullshit, thanks to Qrow's recent discoveries. "How did you get that nice uniform, then?" His face contorted into a sneer. "I have it on good authority that in order to become a full member of White Fang, a recruit_ mustkill a human. _A new policy of your organization, an_ initiation _, if you will. With that being said, you're either a fraud or a liar." The frightened goon whimpered pathetically. Roland began pacing across the room. "I don't care which one you are but if you got a shred of conscience in you, you'll tell us all we need to know to stop your insane campaign." Stopping, he cast a fierce glare at the captives. "And no more lying. Seriously, because I'm_ very pissed _right now, at this place, at your band of terrorists, at all the disgusting shit you've done and, most of all,_ at you _personally. One more lie..." His expression became downright menacing. "And I just might snap and do something I_ might _regret."_

 _The younger grunt looked like if he was about to piss himself. Roland was starting to think they might get somewhere._

 _Too bad the poser next to him decided to ruin it._

" _I always knew you were a gutless sack of shit, Tojo!"_

And here it goes...

" _Or do_ you _have anything to say, Mr. Badass?" Roland asked in a disparaging tone._

" _You think I'm afraid of you, human?"_ 'Mr. Badass' _growled. "I met scarier, meaner men that you... and yet they still begged for mercy before I killed them all! You talk big but in reality you're weak and pitiful, just like the rest of your kind! You should consider yourselves lucky if we spare your miserable lives!_ We _are the masters of Remnant and humans should be honored to serve us in any way we choose!"_

And the Faunus you murdered were just an afterthought... _Roland could feel his blood boil. He heard this kind of drivel many times... but hearing it from this_ cocky little shit _infuriated him._

" _I'm not in the mood for this shit, punk!" He warned. "Either you start talking or-"_

" _OR WHAT?" The goon challenged. "You're better off killing me now because once I get out of here I will find you and then you're dead meat! I'll kill your family, your friends and then I'll kill you! What do you say to that?!"_

" _Last chance," Roland growled, his hand inching towards one of his pistols. "TALK!"_ Keep pushing me, motherfucker, I dare you...

" _You'll have to kill me first." The goon sneered. "But you won't; you're too spineless and pathetic for that... But that's alright since I get to hunt you down later and crush you like a worthless bug you are-"_

 _Several visions flashed through his mind. Dead bodies riddled with bullets. Bruised, emaciated figures huddled at a wall, scared out of their wits. The corpse of a girl, a huge slash on her throat. A grenade speeding towards him as he couldn't move away._

 _Like a pressure cooker blowing its lid off, or a volcano erupting, the long suppressed rage blew over._

 _His hand touched the handle of the pistol. The gun flew out of its holster, its muzzle pointing forward. A single flash and a deafening bang cut off the goon's angry tirade._

 _The captive gasped as a bullet blew a hole through his chest. His cowardly comrade started screaming his head off._

 _Roland stood there breathing heavily, his pistol still aimed at the goon's chest. As if in trance, he couldn't move._

" _Peregrine, what the fuck?!" Nicolaus' shocked cry sounded as if coming from great distance._

 _The wounded captive was choking, his lungs flooding with his own blood._

 _For some reason, he couldn't take his eyes off of him._

What the fuck is wrong with me?

oOo

 _What the fuck was wrong,_ indeed...

He did kill before, but that was either in self-defence or in the heat of a fight. What he did back in the Fang base could only be called an execution. Even now he could see the shock and disgust written all over Nicolaus' face, or hear the anger in Qrow's voice as he told him off for this stunt.

It wasn't like he _planned_ to shoot that guy. The mission was exhausting, both physically and mentally. He was damn tired and seeing all over again how low the Fang fell filled him with unbridled fury. That hateful little prick he interrogated, his superior-than-thou attitude, insults, threats and the utter scorn with which he talked down all the people his organization killed, it just pushed him over the edge. Before even knowing it, he grabbed his pistol and pulled the trigger, shooting the goon right through his heart.

Qrow had barged into the room moments after the shot was fired... and he was _pissed._ Roland didn't say a thing as the veteran Huntsman ranted, calling him a 'maniac' and a 'loose cannon' and saying that at this rate he'd soon become one of the very same people he despised. Although he wouldn't admit it at first, Roland knew that Qrow was right and he felt ashamed of himself. This wasn't the first time his quick temper got him into trouble, though it wasn't always _this_ bad. But now... There was little reason for him to smile, he struggled with mood swings, and every time he saw anyone sporting White Fang uniform, he felt like catching the slimy bastard and throttling them. Yes, they deserved it after everything they did. He hated them more than anything else... but shouldn't he be better than lashing out blindly like an enraged animal?

It became increasingly clear that he was facing a serious problem.

How could he expect to survive if he couldn't keep his anger under control?

What would happen the next time he flipped his lid? Would he end up lashing out against his friends? Or his family?

 _Would Qrow's warning come true?_

The other noticed he was having problems... but only his teammates knew about his kill streak against White Fang. They were worried, though Roland was pretty sure Nicolaus actually hated him for that latest stunt, at least for a few days. Not that he blamed him; he did execute one of his kin right in front of him, terrorist or not. Even though they made peace eventually, there was still some tension between the two of them. Tanya outright told him that he was 'scaring the shit out of her' with the way he was acting.

His anger problems were causing a rift between him and the rest of his team. He could only guess how the others would react if they knew he had _killed;_ he never told them. Yang only knew that he offed some goons who were killing civilians, but that was it. Lovers shouldn't keep secrets from each other and Yang deserved to know everything... but he was scared he might lose her if the truth came out.

 _I can't keep going like this. I need to get my shit together._

But how could that be possible when all he could think about was the White Fang? The maniacs that wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone for the sole reason for being a human?

Bastards even invaded his dreams. Too often he would wake up in the dead of night, thinking he died. It was like a vicious circle with no chances of escaping.

He slowly dragged himself onto his feet and walked back into his team's room, hoping to catch the few hours of sleep he had left until dawn.

 _I can't let them mess with my life again. I won't..._

With that thought in mind, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Author's note: _Alright, this is the last short in the series. I got struck by another writer's block so it took me a few days to come up with the way I wanted to write this. As for the next arc of the full story... that depends on how well I'll cope with the finals. The first chapter might be out this month, or the next. Can't really say at this point._

 _ _ _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)_____


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